Album Review

As with practically every successive Three 6 Mafia album, Most Known Unknown is more of the same, executed a little bit better than before. That means a parade of first-rate productions by Juicy J and DJ Paul, the group's primary members, and plenty of street-level rhymes of the most hardcore variety. "Stay Fly" stands out — not only amid the rest of the album, but amid the entire Three 6 catalog — with its propulsive intensity and crafty hook. Juicy and Paul sample an old Willie Hutch song here, and the result is striking. Sure, Three 6 has always had a knack for roof-raisers like this, going back to similarly styled anthems like "Tear da Club Up" and "Hit a Muthafucka," but none have had such crossover potential. Features by Eightball, MJG, and Young Buck — who are also from Memphis — make the song even more dizzying, as the verses come quickly and hit hard. Nothing else on Most Known Unknown comes close to matching the excellence of "Stay Fly," unfortunately, though there are plenty of good songs here. "Swervin'" and "When I Pull Up at the Club" are two such instances, while "Side 2 Side" shows off Juicy and Paul's ability to import concurrent trends, in this case the "we-don't-dance dance" of Terror Squad's "Lean Back." And of course, you'll find all kinds of gratuitous profanity, sex talk, and drug references, along with over-the-top showboating aggression — everything that has come to be expected from Three 6. Clocking in at 20-plus songs in roughly 80 minutes Most Known Unknown is indeed more of the same, plus a little extra quality, so if you're a fan, you won't be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're new to the group, likely introduced to them via "Stay Fly," you should expect over-the-top hardcore Southern rap. The beats are all done in-house and are the main draw. The rapping is not bad, though what the guys lack in technique and invention, they compensate for with lyrical excess. Three 6 Mafia is the hardcore of the hardcore, and not for the faint of heart. [Midway through 2006, a few months after Three 6 won an Oscar for their contribution to the film Hustle & Flow, Columbia re-released Most Known Unknown with some bonus material. Of note are two remixes of "Side 2 Side," one featuring Kanye West, the other Bow Wow, the latter of whom seems out of place in such hardcore territory. Also, there's the addition of "Hard Out Here for a Pimp," the song that brought home the Oscar. This bonus material improves an already impressive album.]

Customer Reviews

Decide fo yoself

by
Rob Law

Three 6 Mafia's name has been a topic of controversy because of some people's belief that their name refers to the Number of the Beast (supported by their former name "Triple Six Mafia"). They are known to have mentioned the occult in song topics and this, with their name, has potentially affected their amount of television and radio play (until their success with "Stay Fly"). In their first full length LP, Mystic Stylez, the groups references to the occult reached its climax. The most notable example of the groups occult references can be found in the song "__ Wit Dis Click." Lord Infamous states "No I'm not a Christian," and DJ Paul's verse is filled with blatant Satanic lyrics, such as "I'm on a cross, Lucifer, please cut me free," and "A mind for murder but the barrel couldn't tell you half about this antichrist; Look into my eyes tell me what you see; The demonic man about scarecrowism; Saints can you feel me." However the group has never claimed to worship Satan, and in their acceptance speech at the 2006 Academy Awards group member Juicy J thanked Jesus for their nomination and win for Best Song in a motion picture.[7] The name's meaning is attributed to the fact that "it started with three people in the group, [and] ended up with six; Three 6 Mafia" (even though their original name was Triple Six Mafia) according to an interview with Juicy J.[8]
Their 2005 single, "Stay Fly," was also referenced in the argument of Three 6 Mafia's satanic "shoutouts" for the high pitched, almost female voice, in the background at the beginning of the song. The voice was assumed, by at least some, to be saying "Lucifer, Is My King, 'Til I Die" or "You're My God, You're My King, Lucifer." However, the track was actually derived from the classic song "Tell Me Why Has Our Love Turned Cold" by funk/soul singer, Willie Hutch. The actual track says "You're my pride, you're my dream, you're my Dar-ling."
In an issue of Entertainment Weekly, Juicy J defended the group, saying that the group's name was decided for entertainment purposes: "Back then in the '90s, nobody knew who we were. We had to get ourselves out there and be known; put something that would draw attention, and it did." Additionally, Juicy J's father is the pastor of a Christian church, and Juicy J has supported and helped fund the church community.

Umm...NO

by
Tia Onyea

To all the "hip hop heads" who think they know what they're talking about...CHILL OUT. First of all...HOW MANY BLACK PEOPLE REALLY WORSHIP THE DEVIL??? Don't mean to make it a racial thing but LETS BE FOR REAL....To set the record straight there's nothing in "Stay Fly" that refers to Lucifer being their king or god....Yall trippin

So what if they worship the devil

by
newrayz

They still throwed. Just cuz they worship a different person than u dont mean you cant get crunk of there songs. They could worship my nuts for all i care, three 6 mafia reck on anyone.
and btw they dont worship a devil, but thats besides the point

Biography

Formed: Memphis, TN

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

Years Active: '90s, '00s, '10s

Evolving slowly but steadily over the years, Three 6 Mafia began as an exploitative, horror-themed underground hardcore rap sensation ("666 Mafia," get it?) yet went on to enjoy relatively mainstream success years later, eventually winning an Oscar and scoring some major hits. The Memphis, TN, group's membership varied from album to album, with the one constant being the duo of Juicy J and DJ Paul, who are producers as well as rappers. Other notable Mafia affiliates at one time or another include...